Halo: Xphios
by Mendicant
Summary: 117 and Cortana are drifting toward an unknown planet, only to make contact with unexpected races he is thrown in a one man war to survive. R
1. Arrival

Halo: Damascus

The Forward unto Dawn silently glided through the darkness of space, time had past since the destruction of the Ark and the Flood. When the Arbiter got back to earth in the other half of the ship

it was believed that 117 was dead, he was in slumber in a cryo-tube alone with Cortana. Cortana

was looking with sadness at John a warrior with such grace and strength reduced to a sleeping giant. "Wake me, when you need me" those last words echoed through her she needed him she felt useless.

Cortana noticed that they were being drawn in by a hard artificial gravitational pull. Without thinking she deactivated the cryo-tube, "John get your ass up now I need you something is happening to us and I'm not liking it at all".

117 was drifting in and out of consciousness he was dreaming, dreaming about Kelly, Linda and Will how they were took out of his life and how the human race depended on him like he was a god ready to punish the Covenant for what they done. "John, wake up already I need you things don't look good at all" Cortana was frantic about getting him back to his normal state. "What, what's happening Cortana" His voice was dry, painful and gritty. "We are drifting toward some planet, it's not in my archives or anything, we are not in the galaxy that's for sure, though my scans indicate it has roughly the same state of Forerunner technology that was on the rings and the Ark" her bright pulsating green was because of her pure processing power as she sounded out of breath. 'Great even more of this shit to put up with' John thought, "How long to impact" he demanded "Seven minutes" she replied almost instantly. "More than enough time" he replied as he floated toward his MA5C ICWS assault rifle. "Five minutes to impact" Cortana yelled, 117 drifted through the ship to get Cortana back in the holographic chip as she moved in to the chip John clicked it in to his helmet.

"How long to impact" John asked anticipating Cortana's reply "Two minutes, hang on John this is going to be a hard landing" the AI warned "If we don't make it" she said quietly "We'll make it" he replied knowing his luck hasn't ran out yet.

*

The half of the ship screamed into the atmosphere at a high speed "Hang on" Cortana shouted in to Johns ear. The ship crashed on to the surface kicking up debris and knocking structures over like skittles in an over-sized bowling alley until it grind to a halt. "Are you OK" Cortana asked concerned "Never better" his sharp reply came, 117 made his way down the half of the Dawn until he could get to the ground. "Cortana how long was I out and where the hell are we" he asked looking over a large what looked like to him as remains of a city of some kind. "Well" she began "You were out for seven months as we were getting pulled to this place and well, your guess is as good as mine" she added glumly. "Damn, I only have a few clips left for my assault rifle" he growled out of frustration "Is this place deserted?" he asked. "I don't know this place reminds me of the rings but older, much older" she replied her mood left a coldness in his mind. "Older than the Forerunners, those were hundreds of thousands of years old what could possibly pre-date them" he challenged her. "Again I don't know" she replied "Are you picking anything up, you know tech wise" he asked hoping that she could. " I don't see why not lets find a way to tap in to the system" she offered. Something caught Johns eye a large structure with long pulsating blue lights down the side of it and what looked like a haunting, sinister place to go he didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Lets try there" he said making his way toward the monolith. As 117 made his way cautiously to the structure his motion sensor picked up movement, John sprinted behind a wall. Peaking round he seen sentinels large ones, nothing like of what he fought on Halo or the Ark these were big repulsive looking things with red gleaming eyes scanning the area for movement, weapons came from their tentacle like limbs which John and Cortana could not even comprehend of what they were capable of. "Do not move" Cortana ordered, John obeyed as he watched the trio of sentinels disperse over the smaller structures. "I guess we're not alone after all" John said with caution in his voice. The Spartan continued to move to the structure with his assault rifle aimed in front of him hoping not to run in to any more of them things. They finally made it to the structure but there progress was hindered by a huge grey door with hieroglyphics on the doors, "Those seem familiar, Cortana can you translate that" John asked. "I can try" she replied. After a few short minutes she could translate only partial parts of the language it read something about a war and an AI with great power. Something got Johns attention a large control panel with out thinking he pressed it the huge doors burst in to motion, "How did you know how to press that" Cortana broke the silence with her confused voice. "I didn't" John shrugged and walked in to the tower.

A few minutes had passed since they entered making their way through twisted dark corridors until they came in to a room with a holographic projector much like the one on UNSC ships. "Put me in there" Cortana demanded. John walked over to the projector and placed his hand over it until Cortana got into the system. "So what have you found" 117 asked getting impatient from waiting.

"This signature I have picked up before when I was in High Charity, parts of an AI but some how that AI is here and has rebuilt it's self" she said in awe. "What is this AI then" John asked deep in thought. "All I'm finding is a name" she got silent, "What name Cortana" John asked impatient again. "Mendicant bias that's all I'm getting, the very same AI construct that was in charge of the Ark and the Halos" Cortana waited until John absorbed the information. "Mendicant went rampant he got manipulated and descended in to rampancy because of a Gravem-" John cut her off "Like the same thing Gravemind done to you?". Cortana looked directly in to Johns visor, "Yeah pretty much " She replied. A sense of pride started to fill John an advanced AI from a race full of wonderful technological power succumbed influence from the Flood, but a two years old UNSC AI pulled through maybe it was because Dr. Halsey was a genius more than anyone thought or maybe it was Cortana on her own who learned and her determination was all it took, his thoughts were broke by a large bang and crack. "Yank me John" the AI said quickly without thinking the construct was in his MJOLNIR and his assault rifle trained in front of him anticipating what made the noise, John made it halfway down the hall when a sentinel slammed in to 117 sending him in to a wall taking his shield halfway. "OK now I'm pissed" John growled, he fired a full clip in to the sentinel blowing off one of its mechanical like arms off making it back away a little John regained his stance and fired another full clip at it hitting it in the face popping one of its three red eyes out, the sentinel went into a frenzy swiping and ramming at the Spartan "This thing ain't going down try and get behind it" Cortana said franticly. John obeyed slamming his third clip into it staggering it and slid under the mechanical beast he jumped on to its back slamming his fist in to the control panel with all his strength ripping out its wiring the sentinel became a heap of metal as John fell off it to the ground. "You did good, real good" Cortana praised "we should fall back to the Dawn and see what we can salvage" John was still on his back breathing heavily "Are you OK" Cortana asked concerned, John got to his feet "I'm getting to old for this" he complained as he ran out of the tower and back to the ship which they crash landed in.


	2. Memories of The Past

"Well, we made it unseen" John said very surprised at this, taking cautious steps in the Dawn as he brought his assault rifle back to its aiming posture. John surveyed the damage to the ship how he made it alive was just plain 117 luck.

"Hey, look at this" John said with amusement picking the familiar object up in his gauntlets. And turned the device on.

"An Energy sword, how did that g-" Cortana paused for a moment "Oh, the Arbiter must have dropped it when he tried to get to the front of the Dawn. " You'd better give that back to him, that's if you see the Arbiter again" the AI said sounding sad. John did not say anything and continued along the remains of the ship.

"Do you think there is any food on what's left in this place" the Spartan asked sounding hungry.

"Well err, the kitchen quarters is still intact and if we have any food it will be just MRE's" Cortana said sounding quirky. John found the kitchen and to his surprise he found it in pretty good shape for a large crash into an unknown planet. 117 found what he was looking for and found a working stove and started to heat up the meal.

"I have a question" John broke the silence, "Is the air Oxygen tolerable" he asked hoping so, he was hungry.

"Now this is the weird part, the air here is exactly like it is on the Ark, it's weather system is like the Ark sharing traits with Forerunner technology but it's older buy at least two-hundred thousand years , either the Forerunners were older than predicted or there was another race which passed on what the Forerunners had, and the metal all-" Cortana tried to explain but was cut off.

"Can I breathe or not" John asked looking at the cooking meal with anticipation.

"Yes, you big green goof you can breathe" Cortana said playfully, John could feel her smile. John took his helmet off for the first in a long time. His scarred pale skin was like fresh snow, old scars

that brought back memories, memories that he wanted to forget but as hard as he tried he often brought them back to his mind. He and Cortana rarely talked about them but now for some reason he felt like it was a good time. He waited for his meal to finish cooking and put Cortana in a near by Holographic projector.

"Cortana" John asked in his gritty mono-tone voice, " Can you remember Linda" he asked seeing if his AI friend could remember her too.

"Spartan 058 how could I not, she could shoot things with that sniper before you could know what to do to on the battlefield" Cortana smiled. "She used to talk about you, she used to talk to you all the time" this got Johns attention.

"What about"

"Well she liked you, a lot she hated the fact that you went out and could have gotten yourself killed when fighting the Covenant, she seen that you were too reckless when you were younger" Cortana said.

"Well eat up, it's getting cold" the AI added. John looked at his meal and started to dig in the food felt great the last time he ate was when he was about to go into action on the Ark. He wondered as he ate what was Linda up to now, he hoped she was on earth living the rest of her live as a person and not a armoured killing machine that all Spartans were he wanted that for all his Spartans his brothers and sisters, his family.

When John finished his meal he had Cortana back in to his armour and continued to move further in to the ship he was looking for the armoury he needed ammo, weapons anything he could carry. He walked in to the armoury and found a BR55HB SR a M6G and more clips for those weapons further looking in he found seven grenades, he also remembered the Arbiters sword.

"You need some rest John" Cortana told him sternly and marked a nav point on his HUD.

"Yes mother" 117 added smirking as he could feel a mental slap from his companion. He followed the point and found himself in a room, a room where only one person had been. It was Miranda Keyes sleeping quarters a luxurious bed and room was at his disposal.

"I can't stay in this room" John told his friend. Looking around at pictures of Jacob, Avery, Earth and one picture next to her bedside of her and John in the aftermath of a battle in New Mombasa.

"She wouldn't have mind John really" Cortana said quietly trying to reassure him, 117 felt defeated as he climbed on the bed and lay down. The bed snapped sending John on the floor. He got up and looked at the damage.

"OK she would be pissed at me off that" he said laughing, "I'm sleeping on the floor" he added lying down in the room he put Cortana back in to a projector.

"We move out tomorrow trying to find out what the hell this place is" he said to her glowing figure on the projector.

"Wake me, only at 0520" he said, seconds later he was asleep.

Wow 2nd chapter done thanks for the reviews and I'm gonna get the lay out right eventually, SEE YA


	3. Unwanted Attention

John was asleep dreaming of when he was a child when he met Kelly, Sam and Linda for the first time. He also dreamt seeing Dr. Catherine Halsey for the first time winning that coin 117 was in deep sleep when a familiar voice awoke him from slumber.

"John get up it's 0520" Cortana spoke loudly through the ships speaker system. John who was a heap of MJOLNIR on the floor started to move and got to his feet. As soon as he got up he griped his near by pistol.

"What's wrong, we're alone there's nothing near us" Cortana seemed a little twitchy seeing him like this. John said nothing as he picked up the weapons he gathered the night before and equipped them . John yanked the AI placed her in his armour and moved out scanning the grey walls of the dawn , a sentinel identical to the ones on the Ark and rings burst in front of him through the door the Spartan put it down with the butt of his assault rifle and fired a burst into it destroying it.

"OK how the hell did you know that was there" Cortana asked, "Motion sensors went off, are there any means of transport to get out of this place" John asked seeming nervous, which made Cortana nervous. "No the Hangar probably emptied it's self in space but we can try, I'll mark a point on your HUD" Cortana replied. John made his way to the hangar successfully finding a big metal box he walked over to it and pushed the button on the console to release the door with a large grinding sound the container opened revealing a perfect full tank passenger Warthog.

"Wow I guess you are lucky" Cortana said impressed how this could stay on the ship the way it did. John kept looking around and found a weapons locker which was locked and he flipped it with ease the shutters were down and 117 realised it was locked so he slammed his fist through the locker and and ripped the shutters off he found a M7/ SMG and climbed in to the Warthog and started it's engine and drove out the remains of the Dawn.

"Cortana are you picking anything up unusual like any high energy spikes or something, I don't feel right I feel as if I'm being watched" John told his companion as he sped through the remains of an ancient city that reminded him of what happened in New Mombasa when the ship jumped leaving nothing but devastation in it's wake.

"No not really I have had some things strange but nothing to be worried about and what do you mean watched" she asked, "Nothing forget it it's just I feel very vulnerable but I'm adapting or I'd die" he replied. They drove for a few more hours until John seemed to notice something very familiar and very strange. He stopped the Warthog and gathered his weapons and started walking toward a craft, he looked up and seen an Elite ship destroyed in two huge parts decaying bodies of Elites were laying all over the ground in a huge crater vehicles were scatted about also destroyed, with large Wraith plasma mortars in the ground it looked like a battle happened here and a recent one at that.

"What do you think happened here" Cortana asked, "A battle and a big one by the looks of it, what ever happened these guys didn't stand a chance and it was quick too, the bodies are all in clusters they were mown down quick, I'm checking this out" John told Cortana and walked up to the ship keeping an eye out for any unwanted attention, there were to many bodies on the floor he was standing on blood and corpses he finally got up close to the craft and found an opening and jumped on the the destroyed ship. After a good few minutes looking about on the ship he seen something on his radar and spun around nothing, this made John a little uneasy as he continued to explore the ship he came to a large room it's lights were turned off 117 turned his helmet lights on and surveyed the area and walked to the centre of the room.

"This doesn't feel right, it's like are being expected" Cortana said uneasy. All of a sudden the lights turned on and the Spartan was surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of Elites. Everything was silent and an Elite warrior walked in through the centre doors and all the elites started to shout battle cries. The Elite walked up to 117 and stopped looking square it to his orange reflective visor. John silently put out his hand in a friendly gesture and the Elite activated his Energy Sword and slashed his assault rifle in half then kicked John to the floor with great force, the Elites cheered in unison.

"What, why did he do that we are allies that bastard, John try and reason with him" Cortana pleaded to him but John growled, he was pissed. The Elite charged at 117 with his sword and John dove out the way putting the one and only clip of the M7 SMG in to it bringing down it's shields but it continued to charge 117 threw the gun off the Elite and it stumbled John stood still and grabbed the Elites arm as it got to him and threw it on the ground dazing the thing he ran up to it and kicked it in the chest sliding it across the floor, the crowd of Elites were silent as the warrior got to it's feet and ran at John again an idea hit him he had seven grenades and Elites had wide open mouths, John liked stupid Covenant.

"I have an idea" John smirked, as the Elite was in range he pulled a pin on a grenade and rammed it in to it's mouth and threw it against a weakened wall of the ship as it detonated it blew up the wall and sprayed the room full of remains. John ran through the hole as he was bombarded with plasma rifles he found sight of his Warthog again he seen a few Covenant fusion coils and stacked them next to the hole in the hull of the ship and ran back to his Warthog and got into it and started the engine and waited.

"What are you doing" the AI asked sceptically, Elites started to pore out of the hole John grabbed his pistol aimed and fired one shot it hit the coils and detonated sending debris and bodies sky high.

"Step on it" Cortana shouted and John obeyed he flew back it to the city at full speed and started to get away from the ship.

Back at the Covenant ship an Elite in Golden armour stepped over his comrades bodies looking at the trail of smoke in the trail of the Warthog, "V'las, how many banshees do we have left" the Elite in familiar armour turned around and seen a another one of his kind in all flight armour all of it gold. "We have fourteen commander seven in perfect condition, the others can be repaired by our engineers" his voice deep and experienced. "Get them repaired now I want to know where that Demon has gone" his voice full of rage and anger, V'las started to leave and said "By your word Arbiter"

OMG CLIFFHANGAR = O lol R&R plz


	4. Road to Recovery

The Warthog came to an abrupt stop about 4 miles from the confrontation with the elites taken place , John left the Warthog and started to get what he needed his MA5C ICWS, M6G and a grenade leaving everything else in his transport. John surveyed the building nothing was coming up on his motion sensor he moved to a door identical to those automatic ones he seen on the Ark, it opened showing what looked like interior to a house or so John would have guessed.

"Quaint isn't it" Cortana chimed in his helmet. "It will do to lay low for a while hopefully to get those Elites off of our backs" John replied.

"Do you think we are at war again, with the elites" Cortana sounded worried after all that was lost she was afraid that it could mean Earth would have a similar fate to Reach, but her worries were soon put to rest.

"No, the Arbiter is not a liar, the Elites are not liars either. Our races have been at war for so long why would they want to fight again. Plus either of our races have nothing to gain from it" John said back confidently.

Walking back out side his motion trackers picked something up in formation Banshees, they open fired at the SPARTAN, John dove out the way back in to the small building they missed but hit his Warthog with all his equipment in it. The Warthog was a smouldering wreck, the Banshees came in for another pass John ran out side and dove on one of the low flying Banshees. He ripped open the canopy to the craft with his hand and ripped the alien from the controls sending it earthward to it's death. 117 climbed in and slowed the craft down he got behind one of the Banshees and opened fire the plasma ripped in to it and it lost control making it corkscrew right into it's wing man.

"That was too crazy John warn me next time" His AI companion scowled."But did you mean to take out the other one?" she asked quizzically. Not replying as he was focused on the battle he quickly took out another pilot 117 looked at his motion tracker he counted four left,John barrel rolled to the right avoiding fire but it did not matter. " We're hit" John shouted over the fire. Checking the ammo counter on the HUD of the Banshee he looked at what he thought was the ammo counter.

"Yes you have two fuel rods left" she stated knowing what he was going to ask. Gaining altitude he brought the Banshee to a stall causing it to get dragged back to earth, he open fired taking out another,"Three left" He yelled. Now noticing something odd the other two were heading at him directly he fired a fuel rod causing them to part. 117 got hit from behind "We're trailing smoke John do something, head back toward the city" Cortana suggested.

Another ten minutes of dodging fire he made it to the city swooping down in to the buildings he started to shake the three chasing him he set the Banshee down in a road, the smoke climbing in the air it would give away his position then he thought of an idea. "The grenade, it should take out the Banshee if my plan works" John stated. "Well hide and lets see if it will" she replied, 117 dropped the grenade on the floor and ran in to cover. He noticed that the three Banshees landed and went to look at the wounded craft. Three Elites stood looking at the wreckage trying to figure out what had happened to it's occupant. John stepped out behind a near by wall and shot the grenade killing the Elites instantly.

"Well that worked" Cortana mused. Something grabbed Johns attention looking down to the floor he seen something very familiar to him. "Cortana what do these look like to you?" John asked. "Those are Warthog tracks there leading down that road. 117 ran down the road following the tracks until he seen something, a dead Grunt. "Look at that Grunt, it's been crushed by a Warthog pretty bad" Cortana implied. "Yet look at it's chest what do you see?" 117 replied. The Grunt was mangled badly but it's wound on it's chest was familiar and shocking.

"The Warthog was driving at top speed hit our friend with a lot of force I know what one of those things can do to a Grunt, then it was stood on, look at it's chest" 117 said somewhat sounding with relief and hope, he sounded happy. "That is a MJOLNIR mark five boot, there SPARTANs here" amazement lingered in here voice. "Yeah, and it seems to me that they don't think the Human Covenant war is over yet" John replied. His assault rifle on his back he followed the road to the SPARTAN and hopefully answers.

Wow new chapter, been a while since an update. I think this is not that good of a Chapter but still, better than nothing right. =D R&R plz.


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